A Warm Winter’s Day

2014 February 18

by Becky

Just when we all thought this Winter would never end, our hair about to be pulled out and heavy coats badly in need of a run through the wash, today happened.

Winter is like a test. A test of will, patience, creative thinking, and sanity. We lock ourselves inside to avoid a frozen world, only breathing fresh air as we run from our car to whatever activity we came up with that day. We look at our children after nap and wonder how the heck we are going to survive the several hours before bedtime. Baths get longer, tasks like sock sorting and sweeping are posed as “games”, movies are a not-so-special occasion, and puzzles have worn edges from being assembled and torn apart 100 times.

But then this happens.

Out of the blue, like a mirage. Stu’s been telling me for a week that today would be amazing, “It’s going to get to 60 degrees!” he said over and over. But my response was always, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” Miss Positivity I am not when it comes to the weather. I prepare for the worst.

Families, runners, and dog walkers were spotted on every corner as we headed to the park after nap, Ethan helmeted and ready to ride his balance bike which he calls his “best buddy”. What a difference a year will make—last March he wanting no part of biking. We’ve been sneaking outside for 15-30 minutes any and every time the sun decided to show itself this Winter, barring, of course, the condition of the sidewalk…the ice has been treacherous.

It’s still out there, lurking in inconspicuous corners of your walk to work or school, ready to send you crashing down in front of a crowd. Hopefully it will be gone by the end of this week. I’m sure we’ll have a set back or two before Spring actually begins, but before we know it the clocks will be changed and the afternoons will be brighter. Mornings at the Science Center and Wild Wonder Outpost will be replaced by playgrounds and trips to the Wild Bird Sanctuary.

As for Ethan’s balance bike skills? Well I think they are amazing, but you be the judge.

The kid gets exponentially better each time he hops on, hence the pictures of him from behind…I’m finding myself walking faster and faster to keep up. He’s extremely responsible about wearing his helmet, in fact I almost forgot to bring it with us today. He reminded me! It took him a while to get interested, but one day this fall he said, “I want to ride my bike!” out of the blue and has been a fan ever since. I highly recommend the Strider bikes.

Other things we did on this fabulous day? Watched a “claw digger” tear apart the old Jewish Hospital in the Central West End. Between this and the new Whole Foods construction, it’s a toddler’s dream over in this part of STL. We found a parking spot about a block away and watched the action for a while.

We took our time, stopping by Left Bank Books for a birthday gift and ended up grabbing Build Dogs, Build for Ethan…Dig Dogs, Dig is, afterall, one of his favorites. He requested pizza and since Pi was right there with it’s big sunny windows, we stopped in, I just couldn’t take us home.

Does anyone else’s kid love pesto, chicken, red onions, garlic, and feta on their pizza? Mine ate four pieces. And then slept for 2.5 hours.

The remaining ice’s only redeeming quality is that the warm weather allowed us a closer look at this spectacular sight.

The fountain at Tower Grove Park’s “Ruins” has created quite the ice sculpture. People stood around the pond, gazing at the castle that built up around the fountain. Instead of turtles and ducks, it’s pretty blue ice.

My mediocre photography skills can’t quite do it justice but trust me, it’s worth a drive by tomorrow if you are nearby. There’s several fountains in Clayton that are pretty breathtaking too. Fascinating for adults and children alike.

After months of feeling kind of “eh” about anything outside, I’m filled with a renewed love of our neighborhood and city. The park invigorated us, pumped new life into our shivering bodies, and gave us hope that Spring is not far off.

Is it nice where you are? Are you also recharged to survive the rest of Winter?

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In completely unrelated news, I’m nominated for a Homie! This is year three participating in this really fun contest the fabulous Apartment Therapy(on which we’ve been featured several times!) hosts for bloggers. We’re in the Family & Kids Blog category and, while we don’t expect to win, would appreciate your vote! Just click here to quickly create an account (sorry) and support the little world we’ve created here at Preparing for Peanut. And be sure to check out some of the other incredible blogs on the list…inspiration and information galore. If someone told me three years ago I’d be in blogging contests and writing personal stories for anyone and their mother to read I’d have said you were nuts. But I love it and can’t seem to keep track of life without it. Thanks for reading!

Oh man I can’t wait for this winter to be over. Isn’t it funny how 50 in winter is like the hottest day ever but in summer you’re freezing? Anyway, glad you got out. I can’t wait to get one of those bikes for Henry come this summer. Looks so fun!Jen recently posted..Days of the week / weather calendar {printable}